2020 3* C Dylan Cardwell Commits to AU!

[Tigerfinz 1,362]

I hope he can shoot free throws at a decent percentage.  That became a real plus down the stretch for Austin in his senior year.

[ellitor 33,092]

1 hour ago, Tigerfinz said:

I hope he can shoot free throws at a decent percentage.  That became a real plus down the stretch for Austin in his senior year.

He's going to have to develop it like Austin did. Shot around 50% his JR year.

[Tigerfinz 1,362]

12 hours ago, ellitor said:

He's going to have to develop it like Austin did. Shot around 50% his JR year.

Let's hope he's been working on it in the time off!

[Mikey 16,583]

I think I've read every post in this thread, but I could have missed something. Why did Dylan not play high school ball last year?

[Grumps 3,704]

12 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think I've read every post in this thread, but I could have missed something. Why did Dylan not play high school ball last year?

Here is what I think I remember!

He transferred to McEachern from Oak Hill Academy and was ruled ineligible. He remained with the team and practiced with them and supported them from the bench. Some think he was treated unfairly by not being allowed to play.

[ellitor 33,092]

13 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I think I've read every post in this thread, but I could have missed something. Why did Dylan not play high school ball last year?

Ruled ineligible by the GHSAA upon transferring from Oak Hill to McEachern. A lot of people in the business call it a bush league rulig by GHSAA.

[Mikey 16,583]

4 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Ruled ineligible by the GHSAA upon transferring from Oak Hill to McEachern. A lot of people in the business call it a bush league rulig by GHSAA.

I can see why it was called a bad ruling. Transferring in from an out of state private school shouldn't cost a player a year of eligibility.

[ellitor 33,092]

 

Quote

 

How Dylan Cardwell's senior year exemplified his character

Nathan King • AuburnSports

Staff

@byNathanKing

Tons of college head coaches rave year after year about the type of kids they sign, and how those prospects' upstanding personalities will fit into their new program.

In the case of newly minted Auburn basketball signee Dylan Cardwell, Bruce Pearl can point to specific turn of events to back up his assertion that Cardwell's "work ethic, character, love of family and the desire to be at Auburn will really fit into our locker room and our culture," as the Tigers head coach said when Auburn signed the big man last week.

Cardwell, a 4-star, 6-foot-10 center with eye-popping athleticism and ball-handling skills for his size, technically hails from Powder Springs, Ga., on the Tigers' roster, but he never played a single minute on the hardwood for McEachern High School.

Dylan Cardwell (23) was supposed to play his final year of high school basketball at McEachern. (Jon Lopez / Nike EYBL)

After he spent last summer near Atlanta, playing on Team AOT on the Nike EYBL circuit with future Auburn teammates Sharife Cooper, Babatunde Akingbola, and Devan Cambridge, he and his family decided to move Cardwell to Georgia to play basketball in the fall at McEachern.

Cardwell had previously played three years at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, a perennial basketball factory where he made his mark on the recruiting world as a skilled and powerful big man, and began to earn offers from across the country.

Little did Cardwell know at the time, his final game at Oak Hill would be his last as a standard high school basketball player.

"When he came in, we go through a process of turning things in to our state organization," McEachern head coach Mike Thompson said. "They either yay or nay a kid on his eligibility, and they ruled him ineligible. We went through an appeals process, and they ruled him ineligible again, based on the second time we went in there. He and his mom went through a process of taking the situation to court because they were not very happy with the findings with the results of dealing with the [Georgia High School Association]."

The Cardwell family's appeals process stretched well into McEachern's fall 2019 season, and the center was missing valuable playing time.

Thompson can't pinpoint exactly why the GHSA didn't rule in Cardwell's favor. As the situation grew more frustrating with no solution in sight, Cardwell was given chance after chance to leave Thompson's program and play elsewhere in an attempt to show his stuff for colleges one last time. Even Oak Hill, which was "part of the reason he was declared ineligible," called Cardwell and offered him his spot back.

But he never budged. He had made a commitment to his new team, even if that had to take other forms besides playing basketball.

"He was the ultimate teammate," Thompson said. "He's that guy everyone wants to play with."

Soon after Cardwell decided to stay put, word of the big-time recruit's situation spread — and with that, the highlights and videos taken at McEachern's games started to include him. Cardwell started to go viral for his celebrations of his new teammates.

"In our locker room prior to games, after games, there were many times [Cardwell] stood up and talked," Thompson said. "He was a guy that had the respect of his teammates even though he didn’t play in a game. That says a lot about his character and, for those kids, his work ethic in practice and, you know, the way he approached practice."

Despite the suboptimal scenario for Cardwell, Thompson said it might have actually diversified his skill set not being able to play on game days. Since the elite prospect wasn't rolling with the starting five normally, it didn't make sense for him to practice as a starter, so he was always working with the scout team.

As a result, Thompson essentially let Cardwell do whatever he wanted to make life hard on the starters in a practice setting and prepare them for their next opponent.

And never once did Cardwell complain about having to working with the end-of-bench players. He again made the most of it.

"He took on that role," Thompson said. "I also think it helped his game. ... He handled the ball a lot, he shot the ball a lot from outside."

With Pearl's bunch next season, Cardwell will get to spread his wings and make an impact on the court as a true freshman center in a lineup that needed frontcourt depth. But Thompson knows his former player's reputation at the next level will again stem from his character in the locker room and as a member of the Auburn community.

"He’s just a class act in every sense of the word," Thompson said, "so it really made me happy to see him get to a spot like he did (with Auburn)."

 

 

[gravejd 3,270]

I'm ready to book Caldwell as the steal of this signing class. Great size and work ethic are not easy to come by and we are really lucky he wanted to be at AU and was willing to wait for recruiting to play out so he could get a spot. Not only is Pearl brining in talented players but he is also bringing in guys with high character as well. Guys like this are the backbone of AU sports. I'll look forward to seeing how this kid develops over the coming seasons. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

I really am buying the "passing and aggression" thing. 

This guy feels like exactly what you want as one of the ingredients in "the mix" that often comes up in hoops threads.  

[Grumps 3,704]

If Shariffe wanted Cardwell then that's all I need to know. I can't wait to see them both play!

[steeleagle 2,945]

Another article that is in Dylan Cardwell's own words as to why he chose Auburn is really good.

I thought it was interesting in one of his reasons for deciding on Auburn was his talk with the COO of the Business School, Jeff Long, and what he told him. 

I also like that he knew he wanted to come to Auburn too, as he had been to the last 2 Alabama games we won and enjoyed the fans...:)

 

Quote

 

The Dylan Cardwell Blog: This is Why I Chose Auburn...

Dylan Cardwell

May 7, 2020

McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) center Dylan Cardwell ended his recruitment on Thursday, picking Auburn over Georgia, Maryland, Miami, Tennessee and Connecticut. The 6-foot-10, versatile big, agreed to break down the reasons behind his decision in an exclusive blog with SI All-American.

What’s up world, it’s Dylan Cardwell, just a hometown kid from Augusta, Georgia, and I am happy to announce that I am officially committed to the Auburn!

I’m very relieved to have this decision done.

It’s a huge burden off of my shoulders and my mom’s shoulders as well. She’s been through all of this with me.

The last year has been a roller coaster for me so to know that I’ll be playing closer to home is exciting for me.

I was ruled ineligible for my senior year and what hurt the most was not being able to play in front of my family before going to college. Now, I’m gonna be closer so they can come see me play, and that weighed into my decision for sure.

I missed playing in front of the fans too!

Honestly, the whole situation taught me a lot; it brought me closer to God and it taught me how to keep my faith strong because sometimes life isn’t fair.

I’m very excited that I’ll be teaming up with my high school and AAU teammate Sharife Cooper! He recruited me hard, just saying things like, “I know your game and you know my game so why wouldn’t you come to a team where you have built-in chemistry.”

I won’t say that him being there impacted my decision, but I will say that I’m glad it worked out that we’re at the same school which was the right fit for both of us. I know that we’ll have an advantage from a chemistry perspective because we already had it. Me sitting back and watching him for a year let me learn his game even more.

When I told Coach (Bruce) Pearl that I was coming he was excited!

The first thing he did was yell, “War Eagle!”

He told me being there was a lifetime commitment. That’s exactly what I wanted; I didn’t want a four-year school I wanted a school that was gonna be my family for the rest of my life.

I can’t say enough about the fan base there.

My uncle is the defensive line coach there at Auburn so I’ve been going there for a long time. I was there at both Iron Bowls where they beat Alabama.

The fans make you feel at home no matter what sport you play. You’re family there.

I remember Auburn scored a touchdown and someone ran five rows up just to hi-five another fan!

I remember thinking after that, “I want to come here!”

They are the best fans in the country!

The other thing that solidified my choice was my conversation with Jeff Long, who is over the business school there. He told me that I should go where God wants me.

That really made me think deeply. It made me feel like this is where God wanted me and a place where I’d grow the most as a person.

Two things that were high on my checklist was to grow as a player and as a man. I know at Auburn I can do both.

OK guys, I wanted to break down the reasons behind my decision for you.

At the end of the day it’s just a blessing to even be in this position and I realize that.

I am super excited to be an Auburn Tiger!

War Eagle!